Electrical signaling system



Jan. 5, 1937.

s. 5. ROGERS ELECTRICAL SIGNALING SYSTEM 5 sheets sneet 1 Filed Oct. 15, 1935 \NVENTOR SUMNER BAR ES ROGERS Jan. 5, 1937. s. B. ROGERS ELECTRICAL SIGNALING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 15, 1935 5 SheetsSheet 2 mvsmok SUMNER BARNES ROGERS BY ATTORNEY Jan; 5, 1937.

s. B. ROGERS ELECTRICAL SIGNALING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 15, 1955 .5 Sheets-Sheet 5 mvemo.

SUMNER BARNE/S' ROGERS BY cww i ATTORNEY Jan. 5, 1937. s. B. ROGERS ELECTRICAL SIGNALING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 15, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 n nnn \NVENTOR SUMNER BARNES ROGERS ATTORNE Jan. 5, 1937. s. B. ROGERS ELECTRICAL SIGNALING SYSTEM 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 15, ,1935

} mvENToR SUMNER BARNES ROGERS ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES 2,067,098 ELECTRICAL srommnc srs'rr-nn' Sumner Barnes Rogers, London, England Application October 15, 1935, Serial No. 45,147 In Great Britain May 24, 1984 a claim. (01.177-351) The present invention relates to improvements in or relating to electrical signaling systems and while the principal object of the invention is to provide means whereby the meter readings of a number of gas or electricity consumers, or both, can be signaled over a common line or circuit to a central station, it is possible by means of the invention to attain other objects quite distinct from the principal object. One of the features of the present invention concerns an arrangement whereby a very large \number of stations can be connected to a commen line at diflerent instants of time so that messages and signals can be transmitted to or messages are transmitted simultaneously over a :0 common circuit. For this purpose synchronous)v motors operated from a common alternating current source such as the usual electric supply mains are provided one at each station and theyare so adjusted to each other that an electrical conas nection to the common circuit is established by each motor at a definite time with relation to the connections established by the other motors. This particular feature of the invention, in addition to being employed for the signaling of 50 meter readings to a central station, can also be applied to the transmission of signals corresponding to the current being consumed, or any other like data. It can also be applied for the purpose of ascertaining the condition of apparatus at difierent locations or for listening inat pointers lso as tocauseaisignal to be generated sign fying-the' wlliqnfi @4 1P pointerssuch 50 a feature is not only; applicable to the transmissicn oi r the readings of a gas or electricity meter but alsocould be-employed for the. purpose of nsmi tin m ssa e r-.' t ns.m1 m mi at the s v ndepnm ssasei eii tted.

Other features of the invention will be under-.

stood by referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate certain applications for carrying the invention into effect.

Figure 1 shows the front view of an indicator for use in connection with an electricity meter in which, for convenience in connection, with the particular form of carrying out the invention described, the pointers are arranged so as to lie with their centres on the circumference of a circle, a suflicient portion of the plate being removed to show certain of the *operating gear wheels.

Figure 2 shows a rear view of Figure 1 in which on the same shafts as the pointers camshaped plates are provided, the purposes of which will be described hereinafter. In this view the synchronous motor located at the substation and the auxiliary equipment associated therewith are also illustrated.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate alternative construc- .tions of the cam-shaped plates.

Figure 5 illustrates diagrammatically the electrical circuit arrangements.

Figure 6 illustrates the signals sent over the line.

Figure 7 illustrates the application of a similar arrangement of cam-shaped plates for the transmission of messages determined by the manual setting of pointers.

Figure 8 illustrates a circuit arrangement for transmitting a reading of the current being consumed at the subscriber's premises at the time of connecting up.

Figure 9 illustrates an application of the invention to listening in atra number of locations successively.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the mechanism suitable for use with a signaling system illustrated in Figure 9.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, I represents the front plate and 2 the back plate of the meter reading indicator, between which plates are 10 cated and mounted the gear wheels by which the different pointers are operated to record the reading of the meter with-which the plates are associated. The gear wheel 3 is designed to co-operate-with a known type 01' meter so as to be rotated at a rate con'esponding to the power consumption measured by that meter and by means of suitable worm and gear wheels the movement of the meter is conveyed to shafts carrying the pointers giving the decimal points, units, tens, hundreds and thousands. The meter reads according to the position of the pointers so that in the case illustrated the reading is 9842.9. The back plate 2 is formed of insulating material of any suitable composition such as ebonite and has five circular recesses 4, I, I, l, 8, each being co-axial with one of the shafts carrying the pointers. The depth of these recesses is very slight and in the recesses, cams I shaped as shown in greater detail in either Figure 3 or 4 and formed of thin sheet metal, are secured by suitable means to the shafts so as to vtaireup positions corresponding to the respective positions of the pointers as the meter operates. At the centre of the circle on which the shafts carrying the pointers lie is a shaft Ill carrying a wiper arm II which is connected by a friction coupling l2 to a disc l3 adapted to be driven by means of a gear wheel il from the synchronous motor II when coupled therewith by means of the gear wheel IS. The wiper arm il carries a wiper I! of light springy material which normally rests upon the insulating surface of the back plate 2 and is adapted when rotated by the synchronous motor to traverse successively metal plates let in to the surface of the plate 2 and of a size predetermined in accordance with the number or code allocated to a particular subscriber and the cams 9 so that the wiper when released is adapted to close a circuit for varying durations depending upon the length of the conducting surface traversed and thereby bring about the transmission of a signal comprising firstly a code corresponding to the subscriber's instrument and the signals of a length representing the reading of the various pointers.

The design of the cams 9 will be better understood by referring to Figure 3. In Figure 3 the shaded portion 9 represents the conducting plate whereas the non-shaded portion represents insulation. Normally the cam rotates with the pointer, while the path of the wiper l1 remains stationary, but in the figure it is simpler to consider the cam as stationary and to vary the position of the path relative thereto. Consequently, l-l represents the path of the wiper relative to the cam when the pointer is pointing to l, 2-2 represents the path when the pointer is pointing to 2, 33 represents the path when the pointer is pointing to 3, and the arrangement is such that when the path is in the position l-l it will first make contact with a conducting arc of unit length and subsequently, if desired, with a further conducting arc whose length bears a definite relationship to unit length and serves as a check on the reading. Alternatively, if a checking signal is not desired a stationary insulating mask could be provided over which the wiper travels after passing the centre of the cam. When the path of the wiper corresponds to 2-2, then the wiper passes over a conducting arc of two units in length and a subsequent arc of length having a definite relation thereto and so on for other positions, the first arc wiped over giving a direct representation of the reading, while the length of the second conducting arc is a check on the reading of the first.

Figure 4 shows a modification of Figure 3 to the extent that instead of the whole surface of the cam being conducting, in Figure 4 the conducting surface is divided by concentric insulating rings so that instead of having to measure a 'length of a signal to determine what it signifies it can be readily determined by the number of impulses of which it consists. The form of signal which would be sent to the line with a camshaped as in Figure 3 for a rotation of the wiper arm is illustrated in Figure 6 where the black lines indicate current impulses and the spaces between indicate periods during which no current is sent. It will be noted that the wiper ll shown in Figure 2 moves in a clockwise direction and consequently will first traverse the cam on the decimal shaft, then the cam on the units shaft, then the cam on the tens shaft and then the cam on the hundreds shaft and finally the cam on the thousands shaft. Consequently if the pointers are in position giving a reading 9842.9

the current sent to the line will be, firstly the subscriber's code, secondly an impulse of nine units in length, then an impulse which serves as a check upon the ninth impulse, thirdly an impulse of two units in length followed by another checking impulse, fourthly an impulse of four units in length followed by another checking impulse, fifthly an impulse eight units in length followed by another checking impulse and finally an impulse nine units in length followed by another checking impulse.

Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, it will be tinuously rotating and driving the gear wheels l8, I9, 20, 2!, 22, 22, and 24. Associated with. the gear wheels in a suitable manner which will be understood from the foregoing explanation arediscs 25, 24 and 21, each provided with a recas. The disc 25 is adapted to rotate once in a comparatively small period of time, possibly half an hour or an hour. The disc 26 might be arrangedto rotate once a day. The disc 25 might be arranged to rotate once a fortnight or even a longer time and, if it was desired, to take readings once a quarter, a fourth disc could be provided as will be readily understood. By a suitable setting of the discs, which for this purpose might be frictionally mounted on their respective shafts, it would be possible to arrange that the recesses in the discs come into alignment at regular periods of time and at particular instants 'of time during such periods in entire dependence upon their setting. For instance, it might be arranged that for the particular meter shown in Figures 1 and 2 the reading was taken at twenty-five minutes past four on the sixth day of the fourth fortnight in a quarter. An adjacent meter might be'arranged to have its reading taken at half-past four on the same day of the quarter and every other meter might be arranged so that the recesses in discs corresponding to 25, 28, 21 come into alignment at five minute intervals before or after the times mentioned so that at every five minutes throughout the quarter a different meter is connected up. Pressing against the discs 25, 26, 21 is an arm 28 bent at right-angles and pivoted about a shaft 28, a spring 30 being provided to ensure that the arm 28 is always pressing against the discs. When the critical moment arrives that the three recesses shown are in alignment then the arm 28 moves into the recesses and operates a Jockey gear wheel ll to connect the gear wheel 2| with the gear wheel 32 so as to cause the wiper arm Ii to rotate. A pivoted catch 33 controlled by a spring 34 is provided at the end of the arm I! which is integral with the arm 28. Before the recesses in the plates 25, 26, 21 come into the position shown the arm 2! lies to the left. outside the recesses so that the catch 33 normally lies with its upper nose to the right of the position shown and below the end of the wiper arm ll. When the arm 28 falls into the recesses the arm I! and the pivot understood that the synchronous motor is conments owing to some synchronous motors tend- 'very long period of time there may be a tend- 33 move upwards with the catch 33 tending to press against the end of the arm H so that when arm ll makes a complete revolution, its end now engages the catch 33 and moves it to the position shown where it holds the arm II from further movement, while the friction clutch l2 permits 01' the continued rotation of the gear wheel 32 and the other gear wheels without the arm I l moving. In the course of a short interval of time which may be a minute or two, or even less, the plate 25 will move the arm 28 to the left and thereby lower the arm 35 and the catch 33, at the same time uncoupling the jockey pulley I6; preferably the arrangement will be such that the jockey pulley will uncouple the gear wheels 2| and 32 before the catch 33 passes below the end of the arm ll. Consequently the arm ll being no longer subject to any driving torque will remain in a normal position ready for taking the next reading. In between readings the meteroperatesas usual in accordance with the consumption of current by the consumer and the synchronous motor, which conveniently is of the'type used for operating electric clocks, continues to operate at a steady speed determined by the frequency of supply.

The interval during which the reading takes place need not be more than a few seconds but it would probably be desirable to arrange that there was an appreciable interval between the instants at which different meters were connected up so as to avoid having to make adjusting to operate slightly slowly compared with others. A synchronous motor should not slip time to time and as different synchronous motors may take rather different times in getting into synchronism there may be a gradual creeping of one motor relative to another and over a ency for the times when two motors are released to approach each other and possibly overlap if a reasonable spacing is not adopted. The arrangement shown in Figure 5 illustrates diagrammatically the circuit arrangement and a shows the central station and two subscribers meters 9| and 92 connected to the common circuit 31. It will of course be understood that a greater number of meters can be connected to this circuit. Each synchronous motor I5 is controlled from a common source of alternating curveniently is that of the power mains 93. The .1 leads 36 are suitably connected to the mains in the same way as an electric clock is at present, but preferably at the main fuses, or possibly even before the main fuses so as not to be affected by a local fuse blowing. At the central stationf:

an electromagnet. 38 connected inscries with; battery across the lines would energize each 1w time a circuit is closed across the lines. The

purpose of the electromagnet 33 is to make al record at a central station of the impulses transmitted and one diagrammatic method of doing this is by means of an undulator or telegraph inker, whereby a roller 39 is pressed against a paper strip 43 for a duration of time correspond- -.:;thefeature-of; anfarm-r traversing devices each; rfl ipted Q take separate; and, distinc with the. signal to be gtr 1 Referringto; F s w Tand 52 are provided; each she set; by hand :to a; n,

- ace of.:t e pla e. 5.3 i ;is'- set to :6,;;pointe iN rent supply over the leads 36 which source con- 1 Zj t t at s o rivinif isures wwiper 5 a d Ca m-59ml? t e r r: pf the lat sim r no. the pla also controlled in-a si ilar' time, to read as many as 26,208 meters per quarter, although itwillibennderstood that if desired the consumers" meters could be connected in groups to separate circuits such as 31, for instance it would probably be desirable, to have a 5 separate lead such as 31 a extending in 7 different directions from the central station and it may be desirable also to take readings more frequently than quarterly,"for instance monthly or even weekly, in which'case it would be desirable l0 and perhaps necessaryto'deal witha less number of subscribers. p

It will be understoodthat the arrangement described could be supplemented by sendingother messages besides the actual meter reading,-for l5 instance if a maximum demand indicator was in-. stalled it might be possible to indicate whether the maximum demand had been exceeded or not, or possibly it may havezincorporated with it an arrangement such as described in connection 20 with Figure 8 wherebythe.actualcurrent being consumed at the" time of :the meter reading might be measured. It will be appreciated that y it is not necessary for the pointer shafts to be 1 arranged in a complete circle as,shown,-as an 2 alternative arrangement tothat shown would be 7 to arrange -them along .thecarc of ,a circle or proprlate instant. :Ot-h'en:alternativeswwili,readily occur to those versed in thetart and it will i be understood all suchzconstructionstcome within this-feature of vthe. invention; :which provide 35 at all but as there may be failures of supply from an arrangement: wherebyvaawipen; armtraWfSfi a number. of .devices eachtadaptedto take up separate and distinctv positionsdrom the other devices and to: send signal in accordan e; suchpositions; =7

=Flgure7 shows-theapplicatio otithewnvention; fora-the purpose-l; ofjsending signals other than meterqreadinss which; xis alsq' characteri ed by .si ions in c s a smtt he mechanica bug u M11111 .b i ichr il y 54 operates the switch to th ized character. such for instance as the requirements of or the consumption which has taken place at individual stations or to the code of transmission of certain kinds of intelligence. The advantage of this arrangement is that it is possible to have a very large number of stations all delivering messages over a common line without in any way interfering with one another. The circuit connections and receiving arrangement could be exactly the same as are represented in Figure 5.

The arrangement shown in Figure 8 is an arrangement whereby at periodic intervals it is possible to ascertain the current consumption at diflerent subscribers stations. The synchronous motor 60 is connected across the alternating current mains and is arranged to drive through a chain of gearing, two discs 6i and 62 each having recesses arranged to come into alignment opposite a fixed pivoted arm 83 at regular periods, for instance once per day. When the discs 6i and 62 are in alignment the arm 6i -falls into the recess and closes contact 64 Mains leading to the premises to be supplied pass through a transformer having a very low resistance primary coil 85 which may consist of a single turn and somewhat'higher resistance sec ondary winding 66 consisting of a number of turns and connected across the terminals of a rectifier bridge 61, the other terminals of the bridge being connected in series with the contact H across common lead 68 in which is connected a direct current voltmeter V. It will thus be seen by means of-the arrangement shown that periodically each subscriber's premises are connected up to the line and as the current in the secondary II will be a measure of the current flowing in the mains the direct current voltage produced by the rectifier bridge will give a reading on the voltmeter V at the central station of the current consumption at the time of connecting up. It will be appreciated that there will be a synchronous motor and its associated equipment such as that shown in Figure 8 connected at each subscriber's premises and that each subscriber's premises will be connected up at a different instant from the others. The voltmeter may take the form of a recording voltmeter, in which case the instant at which the readings are taken will signify the particular subscriber at any instant and thereby the current that that subscriber has taken. 7 It is to be anticipated that the current a subscriber has taken would require to be read much more frequently than the actual meter reading, for instance it might be desirable to have a readingonce per day or once per week and this could readily be arranged by connecting appropriate gearing to the discs 6i and 6!. If it was desired to take a longer test of the current being consumed by any particular subscriber then this could be done by providing separate leads to the synchronous motors independent of the mains at the subscribers premises so that the current supplied over these leads could be controlled at the central station. The manner in which this could be eflected would be appreciated in connection with the description of the arrangement shown in Figure 9.

The arrangement shown in Figure 9 relates to means for audibly detecting events taking place at a large number of different locations, for instance it is possible to listenin at strategic points scattered throughout a large factory or warehouse in a very short period of time so enabling a watchman to become immediately cognizant of any untoward development taking place.

In Figure 9, ll represents a common line extending through each location and terminating at a central ofiice in a battery II in series with the primary of an induction coil 12. The secondary of the induction coil is connected to the grid of thermionic amplifier 13 having in its plate circuit a-loudspeaker'll. At each location there is a synchronous motor ID, a microphone l6 and a chain of gearing for operating discs 11 and II at different relative speeds, so that the recesses in their periphery only come into alignment with the pivoted arm 18 at regular periods to be determined, for instance once every quarter of an hour, while the duration of the contact might be for ill seconds. The gearing includes a code disc Iii having teeth on its periphery adapted to strike against a spring ll connected to the casing of the microphone It. When the recesses in the discs 11 and 18 come into alignment with the lever I9, the lever I0 falls and closes the contact 82 connecting the microphone It across the leads Iii. A listener in the room where the loudspeaker I4 is associated will hear in code taps on the microphone caused by the teeth of the disc ll striking against the spring Ii and he will thereby know the exact location which is connected up. He will also know that the microphone is in good listening order and in the pauses between the taps he will be able to ascertain whatnoises are going on in the vicinity of the microphone. Under normal conditions it will be appreciated that the different locations will be connected up successively and therefore the listener will be enabled to listen in at each location in turn. It is desirable however that if at any location he should hear sounds which may make it desirable for, him to continue to listen for a longer time than that normally allowed, a switch I! is provided by which the alternating current supply of all the synchronous motors is controlled. Normally the switch II will be closed but by opening it all the synchronous motors will be stopped together and therefore the location which is connected up at the instant of opening the switch 83 will remain connected up and the other disconnected as long as the listener desires. An alternative or an additional method of checking the location connected up consists of employing a synchronous electric motor 84 at the central station and arranging that this operates a pointer successively to marks indicating the respective stations. By controlling this synchronous motor '4 in the same way as the synchronous motor I! and other synchronous motors are controlled, it will be possible to ensure that the pointer is always true. For that reason it is important to connect motor 84 in such a way as to be controlled by the opening and closing of the switch 08 in the same way as the other synchronous motors.

Figure 10 shows apparatus suitable for each substation and which could conveniently be placed in a ventilator so as to be quite out of sight if provided with a suitable cover fully-protected from dust or the like. A microphone It is secured with its mouthpiece towards the grating 8| of the ventilator, the spring arm Ii depending therefrom and adapted to be engaged by teeth on the disc I as this disc rotates under the control of the synchronous motor II. The discs 11 and ll which control periodically the movement of the pivoted arm II to close the contact I! are also driven by the synchronous 1g stood from the drawing.

The invention, in addition to being applicable to signaling meter readings at a distance, could also be applied to detecting the position of railway signals, circuit-breakers, turnstiles, counting devices, lamps or thermometers. It will also be appreciated that a synchronous motor at one location may be arranged to co-operate with a synchronous motor at another location so as to establish connection between the two locations independently of connections from the other locations, for instance one location might be a central station and the other a substation, or both locations might be substations. In the case of a synchronous motor being located at a central station its purpose would be to secure the connecting up of apparatus which is arranged to be individual to a particular substation which is being connected up, for instance a synchronous motor at a central station might be arranged to connect upv successively recording apparatus individual to each subscriber so that this individual apparatus at the central station and the subscribers premises would be connected together at periodic intervals.

In the case of two synchronous motors establishing connection simultaneously over a cornmon line, this might be used for the-purpose of enabling two-way communication to take place between the stations, for instance telephone communication. 7

It will be appreciated that voice controlled messages could be sent by means of the invention, for instance messages could be recorded on steel strips as in the telegraphone or on records as with phonographs or the like and the apparatus controlling the sending of the message at each station being started when the station is connected to the common line. Furthermore, the messages could be received on similar apparatus or by telephone receivers or loudspeakers.

I claim:

1. In combination in an electrical signaling system, a line, a station on said line, variable contact members movable to different positions, fixed contact members indicative of said station, a movable member arranged to engage said contacts successively, a motor, coupling means forming a mechanical link between said motor and said movablemember for causing said movable member to successively engage said contact members to transmit signals indicative oi, the'station as well as of the position of said variable members, and timing means driven by said motor for controlling said driving means.

2. In combination in an electrical signaling system, a line, a measuring device, a member controlled by said device to take up variable positions in accordance with the measurement made by said device, a movable contact making member arranged to cooperate with said variably positioned member to transmit signals corresponding to the position of said member, a

. motor, coupling means forming a mechanical link between said motor and said movable contact making member, timing means driven by said motor for shifting said coupling means to cause said movable contact making member to be driven by said motor to transmit signals over said line at regular intervals of time indicative oi the measurement made by said device.

3. In combination in an electrical signaling system, a line, a station on said line, a device at said station having a plurality of relatively member arranged to cooperate withsaid relatively movable members successively to transmit signals corresponding to the position of each of said relatively movable members, a synchronous motor, coupling means formlng a mechanical link between said motor and said movable contact making member, and further means mechanically operated by the said motor to cause said movable contact making member. to be effective to transmit signals over said lines at regular intervals of time indicative of the position of said members.

4. A single unit for use at a subscribers station in an electric distribution system, comprising a kilowatthour meter, wheels provided with varying conductive signaling surfaces arranged in a circular path to take up different positions in accordance with the different digits of the total number of kilowatt hours measured by said meter, a rotatable contact making member having its. axis passing through the center of said circular path and arranged so that on rotation it will successively engage the conducting surfaces of said wheels, a synchronous motor, coupling means between said motor and said rotatable member, timing means driven by said motor, and means mechanically operated by said timing means for shifting said coupling means to drive said rotatable member to transmit a signal as it traverses the conducting surfaces of said wheels, which signal is indicative of th meter reading.

5. A single unit for use at a station in an electric signaling systems, comprising a plurality of variably positioned wheels provided with varying conducting signaling surfaces and arranged in a circular path, said wheels being adapted to be set to difierent positions in accordance with a signal to be transmitted to interpose in said circular path conducting surfaces corresponding to the position of. the wheels, a rotatable contact making member having its axis passing through the center of said circular path and arranged so that on rotation it will successively enmovable members, a movable contact making gage the conducting surfaces of said wheels, a

synchronous motor, driving means between said motor and said rotatable member including a friction clutch, means for locking said rotating member in a predetermined position, and means controlled by said synchronous motor to release said locking means and permit said rotatable member to successively engage the contact surfaces of said wheels for the purpose of causing a.

signal to be transmitted.

6. In combination in an electrical signaling system, a line, a variably position signaling device, a movable contact making member arranged to cooperate with-said variably positioned device to transmit signals corresponding to the position of said device, driving means for actuating said movable contact member, means for coupling said driving means to said contact memher, and timing means driven by said driving means for actuating said coupling means.

7. In combination in an electrical signaling system, a line, a variably position signaling device, a movable contact making member arranged to cooperate with said variably positioned device to transmit signals corresponding to the positionof said device, a drive shaft, an arm mounted on said shaft, an actuating member carried by said arm, means for transmitting mo-- tion from said shaft to said actuating member,

byseidehattforehittdevice to trcmmit signals to the mid arm to couple the actuating member position of mid vu'inble device nnd ma fixed device, driving means for actuating mid movable contcct member, meme for coupling eeid driving mean: to cold contact member. and t in: means driven by acid driving means for actuating said coupling means.

and timing means driven carried by said am with said movable contact making member to eflect actuation of the latter. 6 8. In combination in an electrical signaling summmmsnocms.

laid vnricbly pceitioned device and 

